PAW PAW, MI -- It may some day be
possible to ride a circular trail in Van Buren County.

On Tuesday Van
Buren Road Commission Engineer-Manager Lawrence Hummel told county
commissioners about a plan to complete a circle with the existing Kal-Haven
and Van Buren trails.

"Obviously it's a long-term project," Hummel said.

Bicyclists ride the Kal-Haven Trail in this file photo. Van Buren County officials are considering adding a third recreational trail in the county, which would run from Paw Paw to Lawrence.MLive file

Hummel had come to the meeting to ask the commission to agree
to support the proposed Fruit Belt Trail. If that materializes, Hummel
said the county would operate and maintain it in a similar manner to the way
it operates and maintains the Kal-Haven, which runs between Kalamazoo and
South Haven, and Van Buren trails, running between Hartford and South
Haven.

The company wants to
abandon its track from Paw Paw to a point just west of Lawrence. This is what
the county board tentatively agreed to Tuesday.

However, Hummel said
that more long-term plans include using the entire right-of-way to Hartford
and from the terminus go down roads to connect to the Van Buren
Trail.

The Fruit Belt would also connect with Mattawan, running
along roads. From there another section would go north along a Consumers
Energy electrical right-of-way to connect to the Kal-Haven, according to a
map of the proposal.

The Kal-Haven connects to the Van Buren Trail in
South Haven, completing the circuit.

At this point the only part under
consideration is the Lawrence-Paw Paw section, for which the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources is hoping to get money from the
Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

"Their (DNR) Number One step is
commitment from the local agencies," Hummel said.

One place the trail
won't run is Lake Cora, between Paw Paw and Lawrence. Residents there had
complained the right-of-way runs right through their yards and they didn't
want a trail there, citing security concerns. Hummel said he'd learned
recently through a Paw Paw Courier-Leader newspaper story that the
lake residents had purchased the right-of-way themselves. Because of this,
according to Hummel, that section of the trail will probably run along
roads.

The entire length of the West Michigan Railroad route is
15 miles, ultimately connecting to the CSX railroad in Hartford. The Paw
Paw company has filed papers with the U.S. Department of Surface
Transportation to abandon the eastern portion.

The company mainly
transports frozen foods and canned goods.

The abandonment means another
railroad could purchase it or alocal group could buy the 83 acres for a
trail.

The West Michigan Railroad track basically parallels Red
Arrow Highway between Paw Paw and Hartford. About two decades ago it was
known as the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore and Chicago track -- places it did not
reach. The company offered a dinner train, known as the Michigan Star
Clipper, as well as freight service.

The dinner train offered a
four-course meal in a luxury car as it traveled from Paw Paw to Hartford at a
speed of about 10 miles per hour.

The county commission will make a
formal decision on that matter at a later meeting.